The Ghetto Is Beyond Ruggedness and Violence: Olamide Says Slum Life Is Motivation Behind His Hard Work
- Multiple award-winning Nigerian rapper, Olamide was just a Bariga kid, a popular slum in Lagos before he made his way to stardom
- According to the rapper, the hard life and uncertainty that wrapped his environment every day motivated him to hustle hard
- Olamide also noted that he has tried to stay in touch with people he has known since his Bariga days via facebook but they always think it is a fake account
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Adedejo Olamide rose from a popular slum Bariga in Lagos, Nigeria to become one of the biggest stars to come out of Africa.
In an interview with Guardian, the Rock crooner talked about growing up to love music, letting the ghetto life fuel his hustle and trying to stay connected with his roots.
Source: Instagram
Surviving Bariga
Olamide revealed that surviving was hard and there were days when getting three square meals was a big problem. He however turned the experience into a big ball of motivation which pushed him to hustle hard.
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In his words:
"I wanted to see the whole world and experience different cultures from what I grew up seeing.”
In one of his songs, he talked about changing the narrative for youths from the ghetto, a topic the singer considers very important.
According to him, people do not really understand life in the ghetto which is beyond violence usually associated with slums everywhere in the world.
The singer also noted that surviving is all about being smart with choices, moves and any individual would do better for themselves.
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Influenced by Yoruba music
It is hard to listen to any of Olamide's songs and not find rich Yoruba language infused in it. The superstar revealed that he grew up listening to music legends such as King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal and King Sunny Adé.
Keeping in touch with the ghetto
Things have changed greatly for the singer since he dropped his first single in 2010 and despite the fame and riches, he has tried not to forget where he came from.
He still tries to stay in touch with the people he has known since his days in Bariga.
In his words:
“I go on Facebook and message them, but most times they think it’s a fake account. They just don’t believe it’s me and tell me not to text them again, unfortunately, there’s only so much I can do."
Olamide also added that he is planning charitable programmes for people from disadvantaged communities in 2022.
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Olamide does not try hard to push his music
Olamide spoke in an interview with Goldmyne TV on how surprised he was to discover he had fans in many parts of the world.
The music star said that whenever he sees that he has fans in any country other than Nigeria, he is usually surprised. According to him, he never thought his works would leave the shores of the country.
Explaining the reason for his surprise, the YBNL boss said he was not the kind of artiste who usually puts effort into getting known outside the country.
Olamide added that he did not even do collaborations with Pan-African artistes in order to get known by people in their countries.
Source: Legit.ng
